2017

i'm ending this year in the exact same place i started it: on the sofa in the flat i share with one of my oldest friends in london, and her new husband. last year my flatmates and i popped a few bottles of prosecco, ordered in pizza, and watched robbie williams sanitise his hands after touching a fan on live tv, then sat in the window as fireworks filled the sky as soon as midnight hit. that was a good new years eve - and we will likely re-do it again this year. start as you mean to go on, right?

this year was one of the best and worst i've had. it started with me seeing a nice guy, who i worked out wasn't right for me, but was right enough at the time. he helped me work out what was and wasn't important to me in a relationship - and in my own life, what my needs are, what i'm willing to settle on, and i think that's more important that the relationship itself. we didn't make each other happy, and we're better off apart. that's not sad; it's reality.

my mental health hit a real low this year, too - the lowest it's ever been, but with a little help, was improved with small tweaks to my meds, lifestyle, and my work life, and is now in a really good - no, great - place. my work have been so incredibly supportive of me this year - more than any workplace i know could be, and have bent over backwards to help me get what i need, to be the best me i could be. i guess it worked, because 2017 started out with me in a job i was unmotivated by, but ended with a promotion, to lead the team i've championed for for more than a year. and with the support of management to promote more charity work in the office - something i'm really passionate about.

i joined borrow my doggy this year, and have had the company of my little cavapoo montster every friday since. having him in my life has really made a difference; i work from home so i can have him with me, and my colleagues ritually receive pictures of us working from the sofa. my boss is so cool about me working from home to have monty the dog, that we actually have it in my objectives for next year; it's made me happier to be at work, it's made me more productive; it's made me more me. i'm honestly so lucky to have a management team who care that much about me. i'm not bragging, but i am.

this year i also ticked off my 32nd country: switzerland. i didn't make 30 in 30, or 12 in 12, or any of those social media hashtags that took over the internet this year, but i managed 32 countries by the end of my 32nd year - my own personal triumph! there are obviously so many more i have on my bucket list, but this year i managed eight new countries to me, and 18 trips in total. another big year for travel!

there have been other highs and lows too: my weight, the gym, my lifestyle choices - they all have had an impact on my personal 2017, but they're things that aren't in-hand yet, and i'm still working on them. there will always be things we are still working on, by the way; just because it's a new year does not mean that the projects we start have to be completed, or are not worthy of mention if they're incomplete. as humans we are a constant work in progress, and there's no shame in taking things into the next year. a new year is not a deadline, or a time frame - it's the perfect time to refocus with fresh eyes, and finish tackling those things you've let slide while focusing on the more important tasks.